


If memory serves

by Failing_Physics



Category: 13 Treasures Series - Michelle Harrison
Genre: Amnesia, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Fae Magic, I Will Go Down With This Ship, I'll try and update every saturday, I'm Bad At Titles, Kidnapping, but - Freeform, i also don't know ratty's actual name, i'm bad at that so we'll see how it goes, so theres that
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2020-05-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:28:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23723086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Failing_Physics/pseuds/Failing_Physics
Summary: It's three years after the battle at the house and Tanya is older and theoretically wiser. And after getting involved with the Thirteen, on her first mission, she runs into a face from her past. If only she could remember him.
Relationships: Tanya Fairchild/Ratty
Comments: 4
Kudos: 9





	1. A Fun Saturday Activity Is Getting Kidnapped With Your Friends

**Author's Note:**

> Considering this is the first work for this fandom on here, no ones gonna read this, but I had loads of fun with this so who cares! Enjoy if you've found your way here!

Tanya stared hard at her reflection in the filthy glass of the shop window, head bent low and hands tightly balled in pockets, determined to avoid any notice at all costs. Even so, her leg began to bounce traitorously, a dead giveaway of the nerves that were clawing through her veins, edging her thoughts with anxiety. Beside her, Rowan glanced up, meeting her eyes in the reflection. 

“If you can’t do this, that’s fine - there’s no shame in backing out - but if you want to leave you need to say  _ now _ \- before everything goes to hell.”

Tanya shook her head as vigorously as she dared and stilled her leg. 

“I’m fine.”

Rowan just shot her an unreadable gaze that Tanya pointedly ignored. No, she would not back down. Not when the Thirteen had been planning this mission for months. This incredibly  _ delicate  _ mission which required everyone to carry out the plan as smoothly as possible or risk the wrath of the fey they were targeting - or worse. Someone pulling out now might just doom the poor souls that the fairy had been suitably luring away to god knows where for the last six months. They’d been watching it for  _ weeks _ , every movement and place it visited meticulously documented until the current theory of ‘for the fairy to stay in the human realm it needs to take humans to fill its place in the fey world’ to have been drawn up.

So no. Tanya would see this thing through to the end. Even if her first mission just happened to be ridiculously dangerous. Even if she’d gotten hell from Gredin for joining the Thirteen last year, despite the fact that it was  _ her  _ choice and the agreement they’d made three years ago after the battle at the house still stood. Despite that very same fairy showing up last night to discourage her from the mission with a conversation which had ended in a screaming match, at least one thrown object, and a threat to make Tanya age fifty years in her sleep. At which point Tanya had thrown on her red hoodie and sat glowering in the corner, silent and moody, until Gredin had given up trying to locate her and flown off in an even worse mood than Tanya. If she cared to admit it, Tanya was incredibly sorry, but considering there was no way she could apologise without first summoning Gredin and then grovelling, she’d much rather wallow in self pity. 

At seventeen, Tanya hoped they would’ve had a better relationship by now. 

Tanya gritted her teeth and yanked her mind back to the task at hand, automatically running through the list the Thirteen had come up with this morning. 

  1. Wait until the fey leaves
  2. Enter the warehouse through the side door, salt in hand
  3. Any taken humans take top priority- get them out first
  4. Look for information second. DON’T TOUCH ANYTHING. Take photos 
  5. Leave quick and quiet



And… that was it. Not long enough and nowhere near detailed enough for the size of what they were about to do. Not by a long shot. But with bags of salt sewn into the seams of her clothes, an iron nail around her neck, and practically every bit of clothing turned inside out, the pair were as prepared as they were ever going to be. 

“Hey,” Rowan hissed, nudging Tanya, “Oh your left. You see that?”

And out of the corner of her eye, Tanya could indeed see a grubby female fairy, no taller than Tanya’s knee, staring at her with an expression of utter shock. Tanya tensed, eyes picking out a single ragged wing poking over her shoulder, a slim, cat-like tail that whipped back and forth, and finally resting on two tiny horns poking out of a wild shock of hair. 

Her eyes narrowed, a sudden feeling of vague recognition shooting up her spine, but she shook her head and the sensation faded as quickly as it had come on. 

“Brilliant,” Tanya muttered, “Another fairy poking its nose in our business. Exactly what we need.” 

“Do you… know it?”

“No.” Tanya responded, perhaps just a touch too quickly. The fairy took half a step towards the pair before shaking her head and vanishing around the corner. “Weird.”

Rowan smirked, but then snapped her head to the third party who had appeared next to her. Tanya returned the gap-toothed grin Sparrow sent her way, before he hooked an arm around Rowan’s waist, giving her a loud, smacking kiss which she barely managed to duck out of.

“Tino sent me to give the all-clear. The fey just left,” He said, grin widening at Rowan’s only half-serious glare.

Tanya raised her eyebrows. “And did Tino also send you to flirt with Rowan?”

Sparrow snorted and untangled himself from Rowan. “Point taken. You’d probably better head over before he gives me hell for letting you be late.”

Tanya nodded to herself, feeling that panic edged with adrenaline gripped her limbs once more as she and Rowan started toward the warehouse, the streets growing quieter and quieter the closer they got. Tanya hoped to all hell that was just a coincidence.

The warehouse was tucked away between a high-end jeweler and quaint music store, but even though it was half hidden from the street, that didn’t hide the feeling of  _ wrongness  _ that radiated from the building. Tanya sucked in a breath at the sight of it and clutched the iron at her neck in reassurance. Rowan shot her another unreadable stare, but didn’t say anything as they slipped through the side door. 

It was mercifully unlocked and spell-free - a revelation that again gave Tanya a knee-wobbling rush of relief. The interior was not much better than the outside. Peeling paint and the reek of rusting metal. Delightful. Tanya turned to Rowan, eyes watering at the stench. 

“You take the office at the back, I’ll search the rest.”

Rowan just nodded, stalking over to the room to the right, leaving Tanya to sweep the open floor. Predictably, it was empty. The most interesting thing being a couple dust-coated machines, and some very large spiders. But... no fairies. As if they’d all been scared off in an area that would usually be teeming with them. Five minutes drifted by, then ten, the most they could manage before the fairy would return. 

They’d been here too long, and Tanya turned away from examining possibly the most rust-eaten tractor she’d ever seen to call out to Rowan -

When two loud crashes boomed through the room followed by a thud and then a wrenching  _ crack  _ that snapped the hinges on the side door, flooding the warehouse with blinding sunlight. 

_ Oh shit. _

And then the fey stalked in. 

Glamour rippled off of it like water, revealing eyes as black as pitch and pebbled cobalt skin, that, as Tanya stared harder, she realised was thousands of tiny, gem-like scales. Her dread only grew as she beheld the lanky figure struggling in an ironclad grip, being yanked along behind it. It had a human. And if it saw either Tanya or Rowan witnessing it kidnapping a human then… this was bad. Really bad. She studied the teenage boy, skin the colour of caramel and very much alive, protesting loudly. 

“Ah - damn - bloody hell! Let me go, you fucking lizard!” The string of curses and insults flowing from him seemingly never ending, even when the creature reached over and yanked an iron nail out of his pocket. The smell of burning flesh reached Tanya as the metal burned deep into the fairy’s palm before it snarled and threw it aside. 

The sudden pain seemed to snap something inside the fairy and it tugged the boy around, ignoring the yelp of pain and attempts to kick its abdomen. The boy thrashed and a bolt of desperation ripped through Tanya. 

She was out on the warehouse floor before she even registered moving.

“Stop!” Tanya shrieked, internally screaming at herself.  _ What the hell am I doing? I don’t know this kid! This could  _ kill  _ me.  _ The cornflower-blue eyes of the kid widened as they snapped to hers, but the fairy merely touched his face and the boy fell limp, unconscious. Or dead. With agonising slowness, it’s eyes slid to Tanya’s. She didn’t falter.

“Stay out of this, girl.” It’s voice held the darkness of a depthless cave, of rotting things. And Tanya had the sudden insight of what it was like to be the prey. 

“Let - let him go and I’ll trade my place. Me for him.” The words tumbled out, Tanya still scrambling for a reason why the boy was so achingly familiar, why every thought rushed out of her head the moment he was threatened. Why she was so desperate to protect him. 

“Interesting.” The fey tapped its claws against the boy’s skull and it was an effort not to wince. “Girl, give me your name.” 

_ Nice try. Not falling for that one.  _ “I’m sorry, I cannot  _ give  _ you my name, but you may call me Ainsel”

A flash of teeth and Tanya tensed, suddenly wondering if she’d been too daring, but the fairy continued regardless. “We both know that is not your name.” A pause and a smile that almost sent Tanya running. 

“That was clever of you.  _ Ainsel _ .” And Tanya got the distinct impression that it wasn’t a compliment. 

_ Oh god this is a mistake. Run, run, run- _ the word hammered alongside her heart, but Tanya stood her ground, meeting the fairy’s eyes with a steady stare, every nerve aware that what stood before her was pure predator. 

“So you will come in his stead?”

Careful - she had to be so careful.

“I will travel with you in his stead.”

Another glimpse of those fangs, as if the fey were indeed amused at her careful words. 

“Very well,” it said again as Tanya slowly removed her wards, the salt packages, the rowan stems woven into her hair, the iron in her pocket, around her neck. But she didn’t dare touch the scissors tucked into her pocket. Didn’t dare bring attention to the one object that might be her salvation. 

The fairy smirked and dropped the boy onto the concrete with an audible thud and Tanya released a breath. Over the head of the fairy, Tanya made eye contact with Rowan, whose eyes were wide, head vigorously shaking,  _ what the hell are you doing  _ written clear as day across her face. Slowly, not breaking the gaze, Tanya pulled out a slender leaf and deliberately placed it before her, hoping the message was received. 

_ Summon Gredin _ .

The fairy snapped its fingers and Tanya was wrenched out of the silent conversation. She held out a trembling hand, which was snatched up. 

“Come Ainsel.”

Tanya almost fell as she was tugged forward, eyes narrowing as night and starlight began weaving around the pair, their surroundings turning to an impenetrable blackness in a matter of seconds. And her nerve splintered. 

The trembling in her fingers spread to the rest of her body and Tanya yanked her wrist out of the iron grip, pulling the creature off balance, before she slammed her palm into the throat of the creature. But instead of sending it reeling backwards, the fairy gave a vicious snarl and gave a single snap of its fingers. Tanya felt the tingle of magic skitter across her skin, a split second before exhaustion slammed down onto her and a different quality of darkness reared up to claim her. 


	2. On Second Thoughts, Maybe The Kidnapping Was a Mistake

The slap ripped the shroud of unconsciousness away, and Ratty’s eyesight blurred as he jolted awake. 

“What the  _ fuck? _ ” He gasped, as the red-haired figure kneeling before him swam into view.

“You wouldn’t wake up. Sorry.” She said in the most unapologetic voice Ratty had ever heard. He blinked hard, trying to sort through the tangled mess of thoughts in his brain.  _ Turpin had been distracted and left… the fairy with shockingly bad glamour who had dragged him into the warehouse… and then - _

“Tan-” the girl slapped a hand over his mouth before he could finish.

“If you mean  _ Ainsel,  _ then no. I don’t know where she is. And considering my closest friend was just so desperate to change places with some  _ kid _ I’ve never seen before, I’d love you to give me an explanation.”

Ratty ran a hand through his hair. Oh lord this was bad. Why did Tanya have to turn up  _ now?  _ He thought he’d have years before his Wish kicked in - why did she have to show up right then, right in time to save him and doom her? Although, he remembered, somewhat fondly, how she’d done the exact same thing all those years ago. The familiar pang of guilt he always felt at the memories of her - and the ones that he’d erased - swiftly followed. 

“Whatever conclusion you’ve just come to, you better stop looking so shocked and  _ tell me _ .” 

Ratty snapped his attention back to the girl who was now not-so-subtly cleaning her fingers with a wicked looking knife.  _ What had Tanya been doing all these years to get tangled up with someone like  _ this _?  _

“She’s a, uh, childhood friend.” There. That was cleaner than getting into what had really happened that summer. The redhead narrowed her eyes, likely about to say something cutting, when -

“RATTY!” And it was Turpin who dropped from the rafters, eyes wild and tail flicking madly. She slammed into the girl, kicking and clawing and biting as though her life depended on it. Ratty surged upwards, only to feel a wave of dizziness sweep over him and his head hit the floor with an audible  _ crack  _ before he’d even registered falling. His eyesight flickered and he gritted his teeth, pushing himself up again and fighting the urge to faint.  _ No. Goddammit, stay awake _ . 

Ratty’s attention snapped towards Turpin, now pinned onto the concrete and spitting insults as the iron nail in the girl’s hand drew closer. 

“Let her go!” Ratty bellowed with as much ferocity he could manage - and to Ratty’s surprise, the girl merely raised an eyebrow, snorted, and released her hold. Turpin was across to him like bottled lightning, throwing herself at his chest and clinging there. Through his T-shirt, Ratty could feel her trembling.

“What is your  _ problem? _ ” He snapped, holding Turpin tighter, though she glowered at the girl, who smirked back.

“Second sight, huh.”

“Clearly.”

“My name’s Rowan.”

“You’re giving me your name? Why don’t you just scream to all the fey to come and magic you away.”

“I’d like to see them try.” 

Ratty just shook his head and stood, albeit unsteadily.

“You,” he snapped, “are insane. Go bother someone else, I’ve got to save Ta -  _ Ainsel _ . It’s my fault she’s in this whole mess and now she’s been spirited away to whatever hell hole that fairy wants - I’ve got to save her.”

And what he said was true, Ratty realised. It  _ was  _ his fault. If he hadn’t shown up and been so foolish to antagonize that fairy then she wouldn’t have been caught in the crossfire. He’d lost her once four years ago and now he’d gone and lost her again. That girl - Rowan - just stared at him. 

“It might be your fault, but Ainsel means a great deal to me too, so as much as I want to slap you right now, you’d better come with me if we’ve got a rescue mission to plan.”

“Ratty.”

“What?”

“You can call me Ratty.”

To that Rowan said nothing, just bent down and plucked a slender leaf off the concrete, frowning deeply. 

“Well Ratty, step one is to summon Ainsel’s guardian and you’d better hope to hell he doesn’t blame you for this, because  _ angry _ won’t even begin cover it.”

Ratty remembered Tanya’s guardian. Or, more accurately, he remembered taking memories from the fairy to spare Tanya from punishment. Turpin glanced up, as if she was also following Ratty’s train of thought and remembered the intimidating figure. Rowan ran a scrutinizing eye over Ratty and paused, as if noticing how unsteady he was from the enchanted sleep. 

“Right,” she said, “Can you walk?”

Ratty took a step forward, stumbled and barely managed to catch himself before he slammed face-first into the ground. 

“No.” He stood again, this time transferring Turpin onto his shoulder. 

“Right,” Rowan said again, “Right.”

Before either him or Turpin could protest, she’d slung his arm around her shoulder and they began the painstakingly slow walk out of the warehouse. 

____________________

Tanya’s grandmother was a force of nature. Rowan had driven him straight to Elvesden Manor, someone she referred to as Sparrow sitting tensely in the backseat throughout the whole drive, stubbornly ignoring all of Ratty’s questions about Tanya and how they all knew her. Eventually, he’d given up, Turpin asleep in his lap, and stared out of the window at the approaching woodland, and the fairies peering out from the undergrowth. 

Ratty suddenly wished he’d remembered his iron.

And then they’d met Florence Fairchild who’d demanded to know where her granddaughter was before Rowan and Sparrow had conveniently vacated the room, leaving Ratty to explain. 

“I’m, uh Ratty and, well, I was being kidnapped by this fairy and Tanya volunteered in my place. It... took her.”

At that, Florence’s face turned deathly white, eyes wide as she gripped the table so hard Ratty was convinced it was either going to splinter or the old woman was going faint. 

“And where did it take her?” 

“I - I don’t know.”

“So who,” she snapped, voice laced with a frightening amount of rage, “Are  _ you  _ that my granddaughter never mentioned but she threw herself into danger for you.”

Ratty opened his mouth, but it seemed she wasn’t about to wait for an answer. 

“Right now, we need to summon Raven, she-” Florence’s voice faltered for a moment before continuing, “To summon  _ Gredin,  _ he’ll be able to find her.  _ You _ can come with me.” She turned sharply on her heel and strode out of the room. Ratty released a breath and glanced at Turpin.

“You can’t really blame her - she’s just lost her grandchild. We’ll - we’ll get her back.”

Ratty could only nod as he rushed out to find Florence. 

____________________

Five minutes later, and the four were standing before the roaring fire in the Library, watching as a stone-faced Florence finished the summoning, finally tossing in the slender leaf Rowan had collected. Ratty watched in silence as the leaf was gobbled up by the flames before he dared to speak again.

“How long does it normally take?” 

“Anywhere between a few hours and a few minutes -”

There was a thunderclap, a flash of blinding green light, and there he was. Gredin. The dark-skinned young man in the olive suit would’ve almost passed for normal if it wasn’t for the cool golden eyes that surveyed them and the delicately pointed ears half-hidden by onyx hair. And as that stare settled on Ratty, he realised he’d forgotten how intimidating Tanya’s guardian was. 


	3. Walking the fairly literal knife edge

Ratty swallowed and lowered his gaze from Gedin’s piercing golden eyes. He had the distinct impression that those eyes could cut right through to his soul and didn’t like the sensation one bit. 

“What is this about.” Not a question, but it was Florence who answered, voice steady.

“Tanya has been taken by a fairy.”

Gredin’s eyes flared slightly, and an expression of alarm passing over his face, so fast that Ratty was half-sure that he’d imagined it.

“But surely you knew that. Being her guardian and all.” Florence’s voice was sharp, her eyes apparently missing nothing. And Gredin swallowed, glancing away for a second - it was such a human gesture that Ratty was taken back. 

“We - ah - had an argument and I’ve been, well, I've been blocking her out.”

“You’ve been doing  _ what? _ ”

And this time it was Gredin who leveled a glare at the woman, wrath darkening his features.

“Don’t you  _ dare  _ pin the blame for this on me. I warned that girl that getting involved with the Thirteen would only end badly,” At that he shot a particularly nasty look at Sparrow, “and if she didn’t heed my warning then-”

“It is  _ your _ responsibility to make sure that something like this doesn’t happen to my grandchild! Tanya is a child, she-”

“She can make her own decisions! Or so she yelled at me last night. And Tanya is more than capable of protecting herself against my kind - she’s been doing it for years-”

“And you are her guardian! When that defense fails, it is _you_ who must protect her! And you have _failed._ Until Tanya dismisses you, you are charged with protecting her. She could be anywhere and you have had no clue because you _failed_ her!”

“I have done  _ no such thing!  _ I  _ warned  _ Tanya and she chose to ignore me. She knew the dangers of working with the Thirteen and she accepted them. Something like this could have easily happened and she knew that I may not be able to save her. I never wanted Tanya to join, believe me, but she  _ knew  _ about the risks.”

“You are  _ unbelievable _ , if Raven was here-”

Gredin’s eyes flared a molten gold, and he seemed to loom above Florence as shadows lapped at his feet. Ratty stumbled backwards, Turpin’s tail flicking madly as the building magic in the room caused the hairs on his arms to rise. Beside him, Rowan’s hand was subtly moving for the salt bag at her waist, an iron knife already in Sparrow’s hands. 

“ _ Well she is not!  _ If Raven was here, then maybe I wouldn’t have  _ failed  _ at protecting Tanya, but she is not. Because she is  _ dead-” _

His voice broke on the last word, and, just like that, the magic and fury vanished as Florence gripped his hand, face white.

“I know,” she whispered, “I know. I shouldn’t have brought it up, I know how hard it’s been for us.”

“She was my  _ friend,  _ Florence and I - I-” Gredin released a breath and stood straighter, meeting Florence’s eyes with a stare, “I should’ve been watching Tanya, but I wasn’t. This is my fault.” His voice dipped further and Ratty turned away, not wanting to be caught eavesdropping in such an intimate moment. “We  _ will  _ get her back.”

Ratty turned to Rowan, “Raven?”   
“Florence’s guardian,” she hissed back as if that explained it, but went on at Ratty’s bewildered glance, “She died a few years ago protecting us. Neither of them have ever really gotten over it.”

“Got it,” he muttered as Gredin turned and leveled him with a stare that almost made him run for the hills.

“And I’m told that you are the one who’s place Tanya exchanged. Care to explain?” 

_ A truth and a lie,  _ Ratty thought, getting the distinct impression Gredin wasn’t the type to ask twice.

“We’re, uh, childhood friends. She must’ve seen me and panicked.”

“I don’t remember you.”

_ Oh shit.  _ “I didn't know her for that long.”

“Then why did she sacrifice herself for you?”

“I-I don’t know.” At least that much was true. He’d taken her memory so - why did she act like that? Gredin just eyed him and Ratty hauled his thoughts back to the topic at hand, a sudden, terrifying realisation that Gredin could maybe read his mind striking him. 

“I don’t trust you. You’re hiding something and I  _ don’t _ like being lied to. So, you’ll be coming with me to get her back. And if you have  _ anything  _ to do with her disappearance, you  _ will _ regret it. Name?” 

The abruptness of the question caught Ratty off guard and he blinked. “Oh, uh, you can call me Ratty.”

“At least you’re smarter than you look. And your guardian?”   
“Turpin.” 

“Right,” he turned to Florence, leaving Ratty to bristle at the blatant dismissal, “Florence, you and  _ that _ one should stay here in case Tanya finds her way back,” he said with a pointed glare at Sparrow, “Rowan, you got a good look at the fairy, you’ll come with us.”

“Right.” 

The fairy nodded, sweeping that unnerving gaze over Ratty again, before motioning to Florence as the two strode out of the room. As soon as the footsteps faded into silence, Rowan spun, planting a hand on Ratty’s shoulder and forcing him back into the wall. 

“What,” she hissed, “did Gredin mean? What are you hiding from us?”

Turpin snapped pointed teeth in her direction as Ratty shoved back, slapping the hand away and fixing a snarl onto his face. 

“Do  _ not _ touch me. And no, I don’t know what the fairy means. Maybe you should ask him yourself!”

“Maybe I will.”

Ratty shook his head in exasperation and annoyance, pushing past her with enough force to make Rowan stumble back a few steps as he strode past. Which, by the way a cool iron blade kissed his neck, was evidently the wrong thing to do. 

“Okay,” he muttered, not sure whether Sparrow or Rowan held the knife and even less sure which one he hoped it was, “are you gonna let me go or are we just going to stand here threatening each other like idiots?” 

There was a slight pause, but after a minute the metal withdrew and Ratty turned to see Sparrow sheath the iron knife with practiced ease and an utterly unapologetic expression on his face. Turpin hissed a little in his direction as Ratty sighed, rubbing his neck. 

“I swear to you I’m telling the truth. I really don’t know where Tanya is. And yes, I’m terrified for her, I just want to get her back because this is  _ my fault _ and she is my friend! I don’t want to fight with either of you, so… how about a truce?”

He stuck his hand out, watching as the pair exchanged unreadable glances. 

“Truce.” Said Rowan after a moment, grabbing it and meeting his gaze with a steady one of her own. Beside her, Sparrow rolled his eyes a little, but, prompted by a discreet kick of Rowan’s, also echoed the promise a beat later. 

And, despite the situation, Ratty grinned. 

“Lets go get her back then.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! As always, comments always make my day! <3


End file.
